According to Elite’s master growers there are 5 steps to maximize yields. They are light, nutrients, pH, temperature and humidity. Having installed Proluxx grow lights in their greenhouse, they break down the amount of lighting use as follows:

LIGHT

18 HRS on 12 HRS off for veg,

12 HRS on 12 HRS off for flower.

Never go in your room when it is dark, let the plants enjoy their sleep! During their dark cycle, plants stop photosynthesizing and start to respire at a constant rate.

How do you grow like the pros? Start by thinking “elite” results and you will be well on your way to improving yields just like Team Elite.

Anyone with a green thumb can attest to the changing of the seasons and how we relate to each season as a gardener. Each year we anxiously await for winter to dissipate, the ground to warm up and the soil awaken to allow for plants to grow and thrive. This cycle of plant, grow and harvest has been at the heart of farming since the first settlers grew corn.

As of January 2019, CDC Says it is safe to eat Romaine Lettuce Again.

Today artificial intelligence and big data dominate the media and farming world. Mass production of produce is now an exact science and getting more “techy” all the time. During the romaine lettuce bacteria scare, many people started to ask the question is the food I buy safe? The question you may ponder is, can I grow my own food?

If you buy any fruit, vegetables or herbs at your retail store of choice (or Amazon if you prefer), have you ever given pause to think about where it is grown or even how it was grown? Depending on where you live, it may be from Mexico, South America, the United States or Asia. Food production is a complex supply chain, and all crops have preferred soil and weather conditions. Now for the “eureka” moment… you can grow many of the vegetables and herbs you now buy and technology has made this easy for the novice grower.

Our technology partners, PlantBox have taken years of plant growing knowledge and built a complete farm in a box which fits right in your kitchen. PlantBox have taken years of plant growing expertise from leading plant experts and built a complete farm in a box which fits right in your kitchen. The Eco Kitchen can grow lettuce, cherry tomatoes, flowers, fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, parsley) and more. For the first time consumers now have the power to grow 12 months a year, food for their families! Follow along our journey of growing our own food!

ECOKITCHEN mini is the ideal size for a up to 12 plants. You can be grow at any. Plants grow in water, not soil so it is sustainable, way to grow what you want to feed your family year round. The system comes with a 150 watt LED lighting system,tuned to the specific spectrum that allows plants to maximize photos synthesis.

Growing your own food has been a challenge for those of us with either small yards or living in a big city condo. After countless years in testing, we finally have a complete range of products available to grow your own herbs, veggies and plants.

Plant Box is a smart gardening system that does all the heavy lifting. Once you plant your seeds and add some fertilizer the Plant Box does the rest.

I have always had a passion for growing vegetables, but living in a cold climate, the outdoor growing season only runs from May to September. How can you have fresh herbs, lettuce and other veggies in the dead of winter? Once you know there is a solution, my inner skeptic jumps in and asks what is the catch? Quite simply, there is the upfront cost in the grow system and that is it! You are now growing in a sustainable way without pesticides and the most energy efficient way using LED lights.

After years of tinkering and research, the answer was right in front of us… EcoKitchen Indoor Grow system! Imagine the smell of fresh herbs growing in your kitchen 365 days a year.

Our first crop is mescaline lettuce and basil. Our family has 2 vegetarians, so it is essential to have lots of veggies growing at all times. The setup of the EcoKitchen hydroponic system was done in a matter of 10 minutes. The wood is bamboo, and you simply take the LED light panel and attach the side panels with the provided screws to the top and bottom of the unit. The heart of the system is the water resevoir and pump. Each box comes with 12 grow pods which you insert your favorite seeds. Planting your first indoor garden could not be easier, simply make some holes in the grow media and insert your herbs or veggie seeds in the provided grow pods.

The last step to getting your crop growing is adding water to the resevoir and adding organic nutrients. The EcoKitchen does all the heavy lifting for you. Each day the lights run 14 hours on and then automatically shut off for 10 hours. After the first week, check your seed germination and remove the weaker looking seedlings. Check back next week for some videos and follow the progress.

The Radiance team has spent the last 20 years in the outdoor horticultural grow space. Outdoor growing conditions in our area is limited to one growing cycle for most crops. Farmers plant their crops in the spring and harvest in the summer/ late summer and plow and prep the fields after harvesting is complete.

About two years ago, we started talking with greenhouse growers in Ontario. Luckily, Leamington Ontario is the tomato capital of North America. There is literally 1,000’s of acres of cucumber, tomatoes and peppers grown under glass. What is really exciting from a consumer perspective is the increasing availability of greenhouse produce in the Winter months and the fact it is locally grown. To make all this magic occur, you obviously need sunlight. From a Team Radiance perspective though, these greenhouse growers are increasing their yields with supplemental lighting. Is lighting and overall greenhouse operations a sustainable environmental practice?

The answer is a resounding “Yes”, and each year the greenhouses are getting more and more efficient. Most greenhouses recycle water and use through multiple crop cycles. This means no pollution and minimizing use of natural resources. Each large scale greenhouse produces a lot of Co2 gas, and most operators capture this case and use it again adding a fertilizer effect to the plants via the air. Finally, greenhouse use bees for pollination and natural predators for controlling bad bugs. This means a large reduction in the amount of chemicals used compared to large scale outdoor conventional farming.

Leamington is certainly the largest concentration of greenhouses in Canada, but there are a lot of other growers in BC, Quebec and Alberta. Radiance was thrilled by the annoucement in Janurary 2019 that Manitoba is getting their first large scale greenhouse tomato grower. This means consumers in nearby provinces will have available fresh produce from Vermillion Growers by next winter. Our manufacturing partner, Megaphoton Inc is supplying the lighting for this 30 acre project. The light fixture is Pro-luxx, and it is extremely energy efficient, using on average about 15% energy compared to competitive lights on market.

The new Vermillion Growers greenhouse will include our Pro-luxx HPS Grow LIghts!

It’s the start of April and in the northern hemisphere winter’s last gasp has just blown away. The soil is still too cold to plant in the Toronto area for at least a few more weeks. For gardeners in Southern Ontario it’s a great time to plan for your veggie garden.

If you are truly a green thumb there is nothing more satisfying then buying seed packets from your local garden supplier and setting up your own mini plant factory.

The keys to successful seed germination is picking a high quality potting soil. The consistently best quality on the market is ProMix. The secret sauce is ensuring you mix in some water absorbing granules. These will slowly absorb and release water so the seedlings get consistent moisture.

For us, its time for peppers, tomatoes, parsley, basil and a variety of flowers to start growing. Good luck in your outdoor gardening adventures this season.